PRE-WRITING TASKS. Writing an to a friend about music

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Writing an e-mail to a friend about music

Die folgenden Aufgaben und Materialien wurden von Lehrerinnen und Lehrern für Lehrkräfte der SEK I entwickelt und können als gesamtes Aufgabenpaket oder als Einzelaufgaben in den Unterricht integriert werden. Sie sollen Schülerinnen und Schüler beim Aufbau der individuellen Schreibfertigkeit in der Fremdsprache Englisch unterstützen. Das gesamte Aufgabenpaket um-fasst Exercises und Activities zu den Aspekten Task Achievement, Cohesion and Coherence, Grammar und Vocabulary . Die Exercises und Activities entsprechen den zur Bewertung von Schülertexten herangezogenen Dimensionen der vom BIFIE entwickelten Assessment Scale (https://www.bifie.at/node 3231).

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You have an e-mail friend in England. He/She has asked you what kind of music you like. Write an e-mail to this friend (100–130 words).

In your e-mail you thank him/her • for his/her e-mail tell him/her

• about the kind of music you like • about your favourite singer/band/star • how you get your music

• why music is important for you ask him her

• to tell you about his/her music

PRE-WRITING LONG TASK

E-MAIL

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1

Dear Jamie,

I really like Rihanna. Her songs are great and I love nearly all of them. I have about fifty of her songs on my I-pod. My favourite song is “Don’t Stop The Music”.

2

Hi Hannah,

How are you doing? It was great to hear from you after the summer. You asked me about the music I like listening to. Well, this is what I can tell you.

3

Hi Mike,

I write an e-mail for you now. I want to tell you about the music I like and how I get it, and why music is important for me.

4

Dear Sue,

Thanks so much for your last e-mail. The link to the Robbie Williams clip on YouTube was great! You wanted to know about my favourite music, and there is a lot I can tell you about this.

TASK ACHIEVEMENT

Look at the four beginnings – which are good ones (and why?):

A good letter/e-mail has three parts:

• INTRODUCTION (how you start your e-mail) ¨ then • BODY (what you want to say) ¨ then

• CONCLUSION (how you end your e-mail) INTRODUCTION TO AN e-mail:

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There are six content points. You are planning to write 4 paragraphs. Which content points would you put into which paragraph?

COHERENCE AND COHESION

PARAGRAPH 1

PARAGRAPH 2

PARAGRAPH 3

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Read parts of e-mails that students have written. All the verbs are missing. Decide if you need PRESENT TENSE

PAST TENSE or FUTURE TENSE for the gap.

Text 1

To begin with, I all kinds of hiphop music. I why,

maybe because it so easy to dance to it. Last summer my friends and I to a great hiphop concert near Vienna. There

three different bands playing, and the atmosphere just great. Text 2

I guess my favourite singer Robbie Williams. Even my mum him! She has promised that we to the concert

that he in Salzburg next year. I hope I his

autograph! When I was younger I to boy groups a lot, but now I such songs any longer.

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VOCABULARY

The following mind map shows a concrete example how vocabulary related to music can be developed in a brainstorming session in class. It was produced in a third form to prepare oral work on the topic. It could be used as a handout to students with the main stems provided, leaving it up to students to fill in further ideas, possibly in group work, or as a complete set of ideas in weaker learner groups, or simply as a model for open classroom work.

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KEY – TASK ACHIEVEMENT

2, 4

KEY – COHERENCE AND COHESION

(as a suggestion – other solutions possible and to be discussed with students):

Paragraph 1: thank him/her for his /her e-mail

Paragraph 2: tell him/her about what kind of music you like tell him/her about your favourite singer/band/star Paragraph 3: tell him/her how you get your music

tell him/her why music is important for you Paragraph 4: ask him her to tell you about his/her music

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KEY – GRAMMAR

(students may either define the correct tense for the gap or try to fill in a suitable verb) Text 1

To begin with, I PRESENT TENSE all kinds of hiphop music. I PRESENT TENSE why, maybe because it PRESENT TENSE so easy to dance to it. Last summer my friends and I PAST TENSE to a great hiphop concert near Vienna. There PAST TENSE three different bands playing, and the atmosphere PAST TENSE just great.

Text 1

To begin with, I like all kinds of hiphop music. I don’t know why, maybe because it is so easy to dance to it. Last summer my friends and I went to a great hiphop concert near Vienna. There were three different bands playing, and the atmosphere was just great.

Text 2

I guess my favourite singer PRESENT TENSE Robbie Williams. Even my mum PRESENT TENSE him! She has promised that we FUTURE TENSE to the concert that he FUTURE TENSE in Salzburg next year. I hope I FUTURE TENSE his autograph! When I was younger I PAST TENSE to boy groups a lot, but now I PRESENT TENSE such songs any longer. Text 2

I guess my favourite singer is Robbie Williams. Even my mum likes him! She has promised that we will go to the concert that he will give in Salzburg next year. I hope I will get/can get his autograph! When I was younger I listened to boy groups a lot, but now I don’t like such songs any longer.